The US government Commission on International Religious Freedom (CIRF) on Wednesday called for increased action to combat decreasing religious freedom in former Soviet republics Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and for more monitoring of Belarus and Russia . In its annual report , CIRF reported that rights violations like the deadly confrontation in Andijan last year and [...]

AP is reporting that the jury in the Zacarias Moussaoui sentencing trial has reached a verdict after deliberating for seven days. Moussaoui pleaded guilty to six conspiracy charges last year. The jury has already determined that Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty and Wednesday's verdict will decide whether he will be executed or will [...]

The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Wednesday ruled that the state of emergency decree issued by Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in February was constitutional, but struck down portions of the proclamation and its implementing order authorizing the military to "enforce laws not related to lawless violence." In an 11-3 decision , the high court [...]

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has blasted recent suggestions that a watchdog post be created to oversee conduct of federal judges. Ginsburg said the judiciary was "under assault" and called for lawyers to defend judges against such changes in an appearance Tuesday before the American Bar Association . Ginsburg also said that the [...]

Uniting Against Terrorism: Recommendations for a global counter-terrorism strategy, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, May 2, 2006 . Read the full text of the report. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Moscow City Court has denied the appeal of former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky , saying it could find no grounds to reconsider Khodorkovsky's eight-year prison sentence . Khodorkovsky's lawyers have said they will continue the appeals process , petitioning the Russian Supreme Court . A separate appeal of Khodorkovsky's conviction on fraud and tax [...]

Amnesty International Wednesday released a report it has submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture detailing widespread torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners at US detention sites around the world and at facilities in the United States, saying that the US is "creating a climate in which torture and other ill-treatment can flourish — including [...]

Government officials in Yemen have said that three newspapers shut down after they republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad may resume operations. The three papers, including the English-language Yemen Observer were closed and their licenses suspended earlier this year over their decision to reprint the cartoons originally published in Denmark. Three journalists were arrested and [...]

Leading Wednesday's international brief, Uganda's second key witness in the treason case against opposition leader Kizza Besigye has admitted to perjury under cross-examination by Besigye's lawyers. Migadde Ssemakula, who claims he is a lieutenant with Uganda's intelligence gathering Internal Security Organization (ISO), admitted that facts he testified to concerning alleged meetings between Besigye and revolutionaries [...]

The release of a revised US Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation has been delayed while Defense Department officials continue to debate whether a portion of the manual should remain secret. Discussions have been underway for over a year on updates to the field manual, but officials have not been able to agree on whether [...]